7x7 Wood Square | Walnut no. 21

• hand carved walnut wood
• 7 "x 7" x 1"
• made in Marquette, MI

Using both hand and power tools Joseph Graci creates carved wood panels and objects. His primary source for materials is salvaged offcuts from local sawmills and cabinet shops. Inspiration is drawn from two main sources; the simple and clean forms of modern design, as well as from the dynamic environment where he lives on the southern shore of Lake superior in Marquette Michigan.

The wood is often worked green then allowed to warp and crack as it dries. After carving he paints or burns the surface to emphasize tool marks. The lines and textures carved in the wood are abstractions from the natural world; rocks, water, sand, waves, trees, ice, etc. Joseph primarily works within squares, rectangles and grids; exploring relationships between the organic carving and the machined lines.